1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sanitary covers and more particularly pertains to disposable sanitary pads which may be utilized for covering portions of a telephone handset to protect a user from contact with those portions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of sanitary covers is known in the prior art. More specifically, sanitary covers heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of covering portions of a telephone handset are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
For example, a sanitary telephone cover is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,063 which includes a disposable sanitary telephone cover attachable to the sound transmitting portions of a telephone for protecting a user from contacting the sound transmitting portions of the telephone and being exposed to bacteria and other contagious and infectious agents carried by the telephone. The telephone cover comprises a disposable sheet including a number of layers of material bonded together which may be attached to a telephone through a use of an adhesive.
A telephone sanitary cover is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,217 which utilizes an inexpensive, disposable sanitary cover for telephones comprising a sleeve-like member adapted to receive and retain a telephone handset. The invention also includes a generally conformable base-encasing member adapted to encase and seal a telephone base member from direct contact therewith by a user.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,163 which describes a telephone mouthpiece cover including a single piece of frustocircular paperboard which is formed in such a manner so as to define a cap portion and a skirt portion adapted to fit snugly on standard telephone receivers. The cover is designed to be completely disposable and includes a plurality of annular ribs for reinforcement of the skirt portion.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a hygienic telephone pad and dispenser apparatus having a plurality of disposable sanitary pads contained within a dispenser assembly and attachable to both the mouthpiece and the earpiece of a telephone handset by hook and pile fasteners. In this respect, the hygienic telephone pad and dispenser apparatus according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of covering portions of a telephone handset to protect a user from contact with those portions.